2009 a "very important year" for Metal Gear creator

Kojima believes the way his studio has made games in the past does not 'translate globally'.

Speaking to Famitsu as part of a 2009 preview, Hideo Kojima has revealed that Kojima Productions (primarily known for the Metal Gear franchise) will start from scratch this year in order to better compete with Western development houses.

"We're currently reviewing everything - from the team structure to tools and our staff - in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses," Kojima told Famitsu (translated by Develop). "So, because of that, 2009 is going to be a very important year for us.

"I've come to understand that the way we've made games up until now won't translate globally, and I've come to think that I need to make Kojima Productions a team that can compete alongside the rest of the world."

He added: "I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again."

For one Kojima admits that it's no longer possible to create a game that appeals only to the Japanese market.

"With games, you've got to use cutting-edge techniques, and doing so costs money - so I don't think you can make games that just appeal to the Japanese market. So, 2009 will see us continuing to think how to create a team that can take on the world."

It will be interesting to see what this means for new output from the studio: fewer cut scenes, an easier to follow storyline, multi-platform titles?